It is a recognized problem that children will often reach for and play with containers which contain medicines or other substances which, if improperly taken, can result in serious and harmful health reactions, and in some instances, even death. As a result many forms of child resistant containers have been designed to prevent children from being able to easily open the containers. This, however, has had the undesirable effect that the aged and infirm have also been unable to open the very same containers to reach and take needed medications, or the like.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,473,162 to Donoghue relates to a child-proof closure assembly having an interlocking lug on a container neck and a plurality of detents on the lower skirt portion of a closure member. Opening of the container is accomplished by pushing in on an exposed portion of the lug to disengage it from the detent in which it rests by a deflection of the container neck. Pushing of the lug causes flexing stress to be placed upon the reduced wall thickness portion of the container neck where the lug is attached, subjecting the container neck to the possibility of breakage.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,562,218 to Hamilton et al. also relates to a two-part child resistant attachment for a container wherein a removable portion of the child resistant attachment is removed to access the contents of the container. In order to remove the removable portion of the child resistant attachment, spring-like pushtabs having vertical extensions on the child resistant attachment are pushed to disengage the vertical extensions from interlocking pawls on an innermost surface of the removable portion of the child resistant attachment. This removable portion is then unscrewed while the pushtabs are still depressed. However, the two-part child resistant attachment in its entirety may be unsnapped or unscrewed either by the screwing torque applied to the removable portion, or by accident.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,586,671 to Thomas et al. relates to a child resistant package having a container with a platform having a deformable pushtab which locks into interlocking pawls on the closure. To remove the closure from the container, the deformable pushtabs are depressed to disengage them from the interlocking pawls, and the closure is rotated. However, the forces involved in deforming the pushtabs creates stress in the platform as well, and, as such, the platform is subject to breakage.
Thus, there remains a need for a child-resistant closure and container apparatus which is difficult for children to open, yet comparatively easy for the aged and infirm to open, and not unduly susceptible to breakage.